This relates generally to imaging systems and, more particularly, to imaging systems that use verification circuitry to test the integrity of the imaging system.
Modern electronic devices such as cellular telephones, cameras, and computers often use digital image sensors. Imagers (i.e., image sensors) may be formed from a two-dimensional array of image sensing pixels. Each pixel receives incident photons (light) and converts the photons into electrical signals. Image sensors are sometimes designed to provide images to electronic devices using a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
In automotive image sensors, it may be beneficial to the overall system integrity to be in compliance with well known automotive safety standards such as the ISO 26262 road vehicle functional safety standard. In order to comply with such types of safety standards, it may be desirable for automotive image sensors to perform self-checking procedures to determine whether the image sensor is operating properly. In particular, it may be desirable to determine whether an image pixel array within the image sensor satisfies performance criteria. In conventional automotive image sensors, it is impossible to impose a known photonic scene on the pixel array while the image sensor is embedded within the automobile. This presents a challenge for the system to test the safety of automotive image sensors.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved imaging systems with capabilities to verify the functionality of the imaging system embedded within an automobile.